Champagne at the Grand Trianon (French Guessing Game Ends)
Walking into the hall of the Grand Trianon she noticed the ribbon on her pink satin slipper was not tied. Biting her lip as she thought what to do next, she put the toe of her right foot on to the heel of her left foot and pushed down, causing her shoe to fall off. Why did she do that? Was she hoping the butler would scoop up her slipper on to a glove tray?
The array of Marie Antoinette's dresses was a feast for the eyes; They say she liked blue the best. Though who could say that is true? Everyone knew Marie-Antoinette loved clothes, she had dozens of dresses in every color. Certainly she wouldn't notice one missing tonight... let alone a pair of pink satin slippers... at least she hoped Marie-Antoinette wouldn't notice!
Admiring the canary yellow curtains she thought, "Hum those would make a luscious bathrobe! Imagine the bathrobe's belt made from that cord." Her thoughts came to a halt when she heard the popping of champagne bottles and the clinking of crystal glasses "corne d'abondance" in the room next door.
The room next door was white, like a meringue pie. A perfect place to showcase the colorful splash of ballroom gowns. Suddenly a row of tall dark men walked in, each carrying high over their heads, a silver tray like thing, odd in shape ... she stood on her tippy toes to see what was inside, but could not?!
On an elaborate commode they placed the silver monteiths or also known as rafraîchissoir à verre each contained chilled, stem-less, champagne, glasses. Oh she couldn't wait to go home and tell her blog friends what she saw this night!
She sat down on this stool for a moment. It was too pretty to pass up. She moved her hand along the silk trim and all be darn if there weren't little bells inside! How fantastic! How original! Didn't they just think of everything!
While sitting on the stool she noticed HIM...her heart stopped. Her barefoot touched the marble floor. Her hand raised the chilled champagne glass /corne d'abondance to her lips. Just then his sash flew back.... Wow! Holy cow! Mother of God! Who cares about silver trays on a night like this!
The winners who guessed correctly are Kitem and Edi. Thank you Martina for showing me a link to a rafraichissoir a verre which showed me that it is the same thing as a Monteith. Hence two winners.
The winner of the most original response, goes to Kim with her response to the guessing game antique tray: "I keep seeing water in it, held for a baptism, they sprinkle the water on the child from it."
Also thank you Tara for allowing me to use a photo-link of your corne d'abondance, especially made to sit in a monteith or rafraichissoir a verre. Also special thanks to Marie Noelle for helping me double check, research and for finding the French terms for the champagne flutes: Corne d'abondance, or le pomponne, or/and "boit-tout" (You had to drink up before putting your glass down.)
Thank you each and everyone for your responses, comments, emails, help and enthusiasm!
Photos: Taken while on holiday at the Grand Trianon in Versailles
Terri B wrote, "It's where Cupid lays his bow and arrow after he comes home from a long day on the job!" Isn't that a romantic thought! How I wish that were true. Imagine the stories Cupid would share each night with me. Gosh talk about girl talk late at night.
When we were in Paris over the New Year we went to Versailles where King Louis the Sixteenth and Marie Antoinette lived. If you come to France you must go there to dream, it is a place of dreams. In each room Chelsea and I would talk about the color of dress we would wear. (You thought we talked about history? Oh no, pure fantasy is what we shared.) Most of our dresses were picked in pastel color in silk taffeta. We noticed, as we went from room to room, that our dresses become more elaborate. Diamond buttons, ribbons dyed with rose petals...you know pure girl stuff.
I must stay on track and not wander off the subject oops! Let's get back to the silver tray.... "Let them eat cake," did not help Marie- Antoinette live in the castle of Versailles for very long... Katherine Miller wrote, "Obviously, this was used for catching the lopped off heads during the French Revolution. No horrid little basket or box for the French when something lovely will work better. Viva La France!"
Often when reading blogs it stirs up memories that are buried and asleep. Annie Elf shared one of her memories, "Years ago when my grandparents' house was heated by a fireplace only, my grandfather would take the cold remains of the spent fire and place them in a beautiful, shallow silver dish. Carefully he would carry the spent ash outside and generously sprinkle the ash over his beloved garden. He fed from beauty to create beauty. He had the most beautiful petunias in the neighborhood."
Many of you guessed the silver tray to be something to hold a crown, or a hair-brush set, or for love letters, possibly flowers or fruit, maybe calling cards, or for perfume bottles, or false teeth...Some thought it was a fancy bed chamber pot!
Olivia added, "When a soldier from Napoleon's army arrived at a social gathering the servant would meet him with this wonderful tray. He would put his gloves on it and his gun so that he wouldn't sit in the gentile parlor and accidentally blow his leg or anyone else's off?"
Sheila wrote, "A tray to hold the communion wafers." I must admit I like this idea way over vomit, a bed pan and chopped heads.
Kim shared a divine thought about the silver tray, "I keep seeing water in it, held for a baptism, they sprinkle the water on the child from it." Kim's thought made me wish I had saved some of the baptismal water from my children's baptism to keep in a little bottle.
Marie-Noelle, my French friend who is brilliant at research, (though the silver tray stumped her too.) gave this thought: "As you focus on the plump cherub and as we are now in an "after-fast" period, ... AND because at that time the meals lasted for so long with their fifty or more courses...
I would say ... or rather whisper (breaking all romantic ideas) this answer:
A silver plate in which they could throw up before carrying on with the next courses..." As Marie-Noelle then offers her apologies, "My apologies to your readers... The French DID so in the past - even if my answer does not suit here ..." Isn't that nice that Marie-Noelle thought of our feelings after she shared vomit with us!
Sue K thought the silver tray might not be a silver tray but instead, "...a light fixture or chandelier...perhaps the metal rim that holds the glass globe?"
Like I said, the French have a certain savoir-faire. Their culture is rich, intoxicating, it reaches into you and pulls your heart to the surface. Romance and practicality go hand in hand. Much as beauty with nature.
Unfortunately, the answer was not found in any of the responses. Though there were a few that hinted closely towards the reality.
I'll leave the comments open for another day and hope that someone finds the correct answer. Here are some hints, that came close but not exactly the answer I am looking for:
Kitem said, "RAFRAICHISSOIR? I remember my old Auntie Marcelle had one on her dining table in the formal dining room. I wonder what happened to it?"